Recently I shared a simple technique that I use to come up with ideas to write about on my blog – answering a beginner question.
While not really rocket science I had a number of readers contact me privately with thank-you messages appreciating the nudge to write that type of post.
Today I’d like to suggest another simple technique for coming up with blog post ideas. It’s simple yet is perhaps one of the most powerful types of posts I’ve used on my own blogs many times in the last 12 years.
I call these posts the ‘how I do (or did) it’ post.
How I did (or do) it
Over the years I’ve found that posts that walk people through processes of how you do things go down exceptionally well.
Giving someone the theory is good but showing them how you apply that theory takes your writing to a new level.
There are a couple of ways to do this.
How I DID It
Firstly you could walk people through how you did a one-off thing.
You could write a post on how you lost weight, or a post on how you made a dining table for your family, or how you wrote your first book, or how you overcame your fear of heights.
For example Vanessa (my wife) wrote a post on travelling to Bali with Young Kids that basically shared tips from our experience of a trip to Bali with our kids last year.
She followed it up with posts on where to shop in Bali and where to eat and drink in Bali.
Each of these posts essentially took our experience of that trip and explained what we’d done and learned on the trip. They contain a heap of practical tips gained from real experience.
These posts have been used many many times by Vanessa’s readers who are considering similar trips.
A variation on this ‘how I did it’ post might be a ‘what I learned from it’ type post.
For example when I created and released my first eBook I wrote about 8 lessons I learned from the experience here.
How I DO It
Secondly you could walk people through how you do something that is a normal part of your life.
For example I recently shared a screen cast of my social media workflow and how I keep my dPS Facebook page running and in another post shared an exercise I do in Google Analytics.
These are things I do regularly without really thinking about it that it turns out readers are interested in.
One of my good blogging friends – Nicole Avery – does this regularly on her blog Planning with Kids.
For example here is her family morning routine, her kids homework boxes and how she preps food for her 5 kids’ lunch boxes each week.
In each case Nicole has simply looked at her life and found a routine, system or process that works for her and has shared it on her blog.
These things might be so much a part of your day or week that you don’t even think of them any more – but you’ll often find that these are things that will help others incredibly.
Exercise
Brainstorm ideas for these two types of posts.
What are some big one off things that you’ve done in your life that you could write about?
What are some things that you do regularly in your life each day or week that could actually help others? (e.g. routines, systems, processes).
Hint: pay close attention the questions that you regularly get asked from family and friends about how you do things or about the experiences that you’ve had. If people in your ‘real life’ are interested in how you do these kinds of things you can bet others online would be too.
Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger
Blog Post Idea: How I Do It Posts
